Think Less, Do More

Message
I got a message the other day from a friend in a meditation group. The note said “Think less and do more.”

Think Less About What?
So, of course, I wondered what she was suggesting. What did she mean? Why was she saying this? What was her motivation? In other words, I thought about less, even more.

Unthinkable
I thought about the limit of thinking less. What would not thinking at all feel like? What would happen if my mind weren’t consumed with distraction? If my thoughts were all obstacles and they were removed, sensations and meaning all voided out, what would be left?

Not thinking, I am neither in the past nor preparing for what’s next. I do not acknowledge what, when, why, who, or how.

In no thought, knowing is not an option. Reason is unreasonable. Faith and hope, certainty, confidence, and learned wisdom are all Tolle attachments. In no thought these all dissipate into oblivion.
More than disentangling from attachments, no-thought becomes a separate and all-encompassing non-space.

What’s left is spirit. Me, us, simply being. It is magical, mystical, space and profoundly normal. A place for allowing. Allowing what? Allowing no thing. A splash in the eternal spirit river, the ultimate reality. The Tao.

Tao of Canine Massage
Tao means “Way.” It is pronounced dow. The Way, according to Taoists, is the spiritual force that underlies the universe and is found in all things. Even though it is a part of all things, it is greater than all things. For Taoists, it is the ultimate reality.

PetMassage effects the dynamics, properties, and qualities of dog Tao. Behold the eternal spirit that resides within the essence of the soul.

Takes Two To Tango
A chain is as strong as its weakest link. The dogs are fine. They will easily tap in, and join up when – and this is the key – when our lead is clear. So, before we can step into the dog Tao, we have to identify and overcome the obstacles of our thoughts. Not just negative thoughts; all thoughts. We could be getting in our own way. We can choose to own the thought; the thought does not own our choices.

When we are striving to attain the outcomes that can meet our expectations, we are competing against ourselves. The selves we are comparing ourselves to are our optimal selves, working at the highest level. They are our best, most competent versions.

How can we be present with our dogs when we are so busy thinking about expectations and competing to meet them? We are so deep in conversation with our quantum selves, we cannot be fully present. And when we are thus preoccupied, we have joined up with our thoughts and abandoned the dog.

The Tao of PetMassage
And, authentic join up does happen. The closest I can describe the state of this supernormality is what happens during a PetMassage. I cup the dog’s face in my palms. I look into her eyes, and the room around us fades away. The motes in her irises become fractal portals to paradise. Time pauses. For a timeless instant, we breathe our private breaths; our hearts beat in our own gentle rhythms. No need to watch what we are seeing. There are no boundaries; no separation. Our spirits bathe in the perfect universal flow.

Connection Is The Work
No thing is the quiet sanctuary of this every-thing. It’s the space beyond knowing. Infinite. There is no thing either of us needs to know. No need to listen to what we hear. No thing we have to do, or feel. There is only connection. We are the connection. We are what is being connected. The connection is the therapeutic work. We physical entities existing together as pure spirit, move in the grace of stillness.

We could be thinking too much, when we could be doing more. We could be trying too hard. We could simply allow. PetMassage is moving with the dog in quiet stillness, Tao deep.

We are offering a special one-day workshop on Sunday, the 6th, Tongue Evaluation in Canine Massage and TCVM Pulse Assessment. Taught by Dr Eva Groesbeck, DVM, CVA, CVCHM. This one-day course will be at the PetMassage School in Toledo OH. It is open to graduates of all canine massage schools, veterinarians and RVTs.